Frequently Asked Questions by Visitors to the Beekeepers' Booth at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
How many eggs does the queen lay each day?
On average, a queen lays around 1,000 eggs each day, and can lay up to 2,000 eggs per day.
How long does the queen live?
Queens can be productive for up to three years, and usually do not live more that five years.
Is the Queen born with that mark of paint?
No. The firms that raise Queen bees paint the mark on the queens so the beekeeper can find her more easily and determine how old the queen is. Younger queens are better egg layers, and thus produce more worker bees, which in turn make for healthier colonies. Each year's queens get a different color. The specifications for the colors are as follows:
White (or Gray) for years ending in 1 or 6
Yellow for years ending in 2 or 7
Red for years ending in 3 or 8
Green for years ending in 4 or 9
Blue for years ending in 5 or 0
Does the queen ever leave the hive?
The queen spends almost her entire life in the darkness of the hive. She ventures out on her maiden flight so she can be fertilized by the drones. After that she does not leave the hive unless the hive becomes overcrowded and then she leads a swarm of bees to a new hive.
Why do we need bees?
Bees are the most important pollinators of plants. Much of agriculture depends on honey bees to pollinate the crops you eat. Without bees, many of the foods you eat would not be economical. As bees light on flowers to get the nectar, pollen clings to their bodies. When they go to the next flower some of that pollen rubs off, causing pollination. In your backyard and neighborhood, bees increase the number of vegetables in the garden and the number of fruits on your trees. Bees are also the only source of bees wax, which is used in many cosmetics. Of course, bees are also the source of honey, a natural sweetener.
Why does it seem like there are fewer bees these days?
Unfortunately, there are fewer bees these days. This is due to both indiscriminate use of insecticides and the increase in the number of mites in bee hives. These mites have eliminated many wild bee hives. Now, it is the action of local beekeepers that is keeping these most beneficial insects alive.
How many bees are in a normal colony?
A healthy colony contains around 60,000 bees. 30,000 bees are inside the colony helping the queen and attending to the brood. The other 30,000 bees are out foraging for nectar and pollen.
Is it true that bees are all female?
Almost. The queen and all worker bees are female. Each hive keeps a few drones (males) around. The drones perform the task of fertilizing the queen on her maiden flight. They die thereafter. Thus, a hive is over 99% female.
How far does a bee travel in her search for nectar or honey?
Bees always prefer it when they find flowers close to the hive. However, bees will forage as far away from the hive as one to five miles.
How long do worker bees live?
It takes 21 days for a bee egg to hatch. The bee then lives about forty days. The first 19 days are spent inside the hive feeding larvae, building honey comb, attending the queen and guarding the hive. The bee then spends her last 21 days gathering nectar and pollen.
What are the stages in the development of a bee?
The bee begins life as an egg laid by the queen. The egg develops into a larva, which turns into a pupa. The pupa metamorphosizes into the insect form of the bee. The process from egg to emerging insect takes about 21 days.
What is a bee's diet?
A bee's diet consists of nectar, pollen and water. Pollen supplies protein and nectar provides carbohydrates.
How do bees make honey?
Worker bees get nectar from flowers. The nectar is transferred to their honey stomachs where enzymes cause it to thicken somewhat. The honey is deposited into the honeycomb of the hive, where more water evaporates and it ripens into what we can eat.
What is Royal Jelly?
Royal Jelly is the food for the larval stage of the brood. When a larva receives three day's worth it becomes a worker bee. If a larva receives royal jelly during its entire larval stage it becomes a queen bee. Royal jelly is secreted from glands in the head of the worker bee. It is sometimes called bee milk.
How many bees in a pound of bees?
A pound of bees contains about 3,300 bees.
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